Characteristics of humic acid and organic compounds concentrated from tapwater using the aquella virus concentrator

Humic acid and other organic compounds present in eluates from filters used to process large volumes of treated tapwater using the Aquella virus concentrator were found to share certain properties. Both humic acid and the other organic compounds in the filter eluates adsorbed to membrane filters at low pH, were eluted from membrane filters at high pH, interfered with virus adsorption to membrane filters, formed flocs at low pH, and were removed by anion-exchange resins.     

Use of bituminous coal for concentration of enteroviruses from sewage and effluent

A method has been developed for concentration of enteroviruses from untreated and treated domestic wastewater using bituminous coal bed as a virus adsorbent. A bed made from 1.5 g of 120 mesh coal powder was used for concentrating enteroviruses from 100 ml of clarified sewage at different pH values with and without addition of AlCl3. To enhance the adsorption of viruses, requisite quantities of aluminium chloride were added so that a final concentration of 0.0005 M could be achieved. At pH 3.0 maximum adsorption (82.8%) of poliovirus type 1 from artificially contaminated clarified sewage was observed without addition of AlCl3. However, at pH 5.0 maximum virus adsorption of 98.7% was achieved after addition of aluminium chloride. An average recovery of 86.9% of adsorbed viruses at pH 5.0 was achieved from coal bed with 3% flocculating beef extract at pH 9.5. This method for concentration of enteroviruses incorporating use of coal was compared with that of Millipore membrane filter method applied to raw sewage and clarified sewage. The results obtained from the methodology using coal as adsorbent was subjected to Student's "t" test and it was observed that its efficiency is confirmed for recovery of enteroviruses from raw and nonclarified sewage. These results are also comparable with that obtained with MF method. The results presented in this paper are indicative of the potential of this method for both treated and raw sewage.     

Characterization of sewage solid-associated viruses and behavior in natural waters

The association of bacteriophages and animal viruses with solids has been demonstrated to have a protective effect, resulting in enhanced survival in natural waters and resistance to inactivation by chlorine. In this study, attempts were made to differentiate solid-associated viruses and freely suspended viruses in secondarily treated sewage by the retention of sewage solids on membrane filters treated with fetal calf serum to prevent adsorption of freely suspended virus. Solid-associated viruses collected on membrane filters were eluted with pH 11.5, 0.05 M glycine buffer. The percentage of the total coliphage and animal virus associated with solids in secondarily treated sewage discharges ranged from < 1.0 to 24% and 3 to 100%, respectively. The largest quantity of solid-associated coliphage was attached to particles greater than 8.0 μm and less than 0.65 μm in size. Tapwater, lake water and estuarine water were all capable of eluting solid-associated coliphages. Elution of coliphages in marine water appeared to be related to the salinity of the water. Coliphages eluted from sewage solids in seawater could readsorb to naturally occurring marine sediment.     

Impact of solution chemistry on viral removal by a single-walled carbon nanotube filter

This study investigates the effectiveness of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) filter for removal of viruses from water. MS2 bacteriophage viral removal was examined over a range of environmentally relevant solution chemistries, spanning various ionic strengths, monovalent and divalent salts, pH, and natural organic matter (NOM) concentrations. Viral removal by the SWNT filter was governed by physicochemical (depth) filtration. The removal of viruses increased at higher ionic strengths (NaCl) due to suppression of repulsive electrostatic interactions between viruses and SWNTs. Addition of divalent salts, however, had varying impacts. While CaCl₂ increased virus removal, likely due to complexation of calcium ions to viral surfaces, addition of MgCl₂ reduced viral removal by the SWNT filter. Solution pH also had significant impact on viral removal as the interactions between viral particles and SWNTs changed from attractive below the virus isoelectric point (about pH 3.9) to repulsive at higher pH. Suwannee River NOM was shown to be detrimental to filter viral removal. Reduction of viral removal by NOM was attributed to adsorption of NOM macromolecules to viruses and SWNTs, thereby resulting in steric repulsive forces. Modifications of the filter to incorporate thicker SWNT layers mitigate the negative impacts of NOM on filter performance. This study has shown that while it is possible to attain high levels of viral removal over a broad range of solution chemistries, the extent of viral removal will be highly dependent on the specific solution chemistry of the treated water.     

A portable virus concentrator for testing water in the field

A system is described for concentrating viruses from large volumes of water. The system consists of a water pump, an electric generator, a series of clarifiers, a virus adsorbent, a virus reconcentrator, a 5- and a 1-gal pressure vessel with a small tank of nitrogen as a source of positive pressure, and ancillary equipment, all mounted on 2-wheel carts for easy portability. Standardization of the system was achieved by use of minute amounts of poliovirus. The virus was added to dechlorinated city tap water so that it could not be detected unless the virus was first concentrated. In the system, raw tap water containing virus is serially passed through clarifying filters of porosities of 1–5 μm to remove particulate matter, and then through a 1-μm cotton textile filter to electrostatically remove submicron ferric and other heavy metallic complexes. These filters do not detectably remove virus. Salts are then added to the running tap water to enhance the adsorption of virus to a fibreglass or cellulose acetate filter. Raw water could be processed at the rate of 300 gallons per hour, with total virus removal from the water and with 80 per cent elution of the virus from the adsorbent.     

Comparative performance of membrane filters vs. high-surface area filtration cartridges for the determination of element concentrations in freshwater systems

Interdisciplinary studies on trace element cycles in aquatic environments may require the simultaneous use of small- and large-scale filtration devices to collect all the necessary sample aliquots for the different scientific objectives (e.g. trace element and organic carbon analysis, chronic toxicity testing, and characterization of colloidal matter). This study compares the performance of membrane filters (MF, Millipore-approx. surface area 0.002 m2) and two large-surface area filtration cartridges (Calyx, MSI and Polypro, CUNO approx. surface area 1 m2) in three freshwater systems with contrasting characteristics. Membrane filters and filtration cartridges fractionate water samples in a comparable way except for some elements (Al, Mn, Pb, and Ti) and when dealing with high-turbidity, organic-rich matrices. Estimation of the actual filters' pore size using the single particle counting technique gives cut-offs of 0.2-0.3, 0.7 and 2 microm for membrane filters, Polypro cartridge and Calyx cartridge respectively, explaining many of the differences observed between membrane and cartridge filters. Direct involvement of filter manufacturers to determine actual filter cut-offs during environmental applications would be highly beneficial to increase the comparability of the measurements of filterable element concentrations. Better harmonization of filtration procedures (filter type, actual filter cut-off, in situ vs. ex situ filtration) among laboratories in different countries is also necessary in order to improve consistency of environmental databases.     

Organic carbon removal and nitrification of high strength wastewaters using stratified sand filters

The current practice of spray irrigation of dairy parlour wastewaters is laborious and time consuming. Intermittent sand filtration systems may offer an alternative to spray irrigation when designed to remove organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, coliforms and viruses from such wastewaters to allow discharge of the final effluent directly into receiving waters without damage to the environment. In this study two instrumented stratified sand filter columns (0.425 and 0.9 m deep, and both 0.3 m in diameter) were intermittently loaded for 439 days with synthetic dairy parlour washings at a number of hydraulic and organic loading rates. At a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) loading of 22 g m(-2) d(-1), over 92% of the BOD and suspended solids in the wastewater was removed in the two filters and nitrification was complete. The 0.9 m column had a sustained ability to adsorb the influent phosphorus during the study period; however, the phosphorus adsorption capacity of the 0.425 m column began to decrease after approximately 30 days. Biomass, comprising hydrated extracellular polymers (exopolymers) and living and dead cells, accumulated in the 0.9 m column; it was assessed by sodium bromide tracer studies and by variations in the sand volumetric water contents using time domain reflectometry (TDR). The biomass growth increased the retention time of the wastewater in the filter media, and occurred mainly at the top of the first sand layer. Intermittent stratified sand filters appear to offer an effective and sustainable treatment process for the removal of BOD from high-strength wastewaters, and for the complete nitrification of ammonium.     

Removal of MIB and geosmin using granular activated carbon with and without MIEX pre-treatment

This study assessed the impact of MIEX pre-treatment, followed by either coagulation or microfiltration (MF), on the effectiveness of pilot granular activated carbon (GAC) filters for the removal of the taste and odour compounds, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin, from a surface drinking water source over a 2-year period. Complete removal of MIB and geosmin was achieved by all GAC filters for the first 10 months, suggesting that the available adsorption capacity was sufficient to compensate for differences in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) entering the GAC filters.Reduction of empty bed contact time (EBCT), in all but one GAC filter, resulted in breakthrough of spiked MIB and geosmin, with initial results inconclusive regarding the impact of MIEX pre-treatment. MIB and geosmin removal increased over the ensuing 12 months until complete removal of both MIB and geosmin was again achieved in all but one GAC filter, which had been pre-chlorinated. Autoclaving and washing the GAC filters had minimal impact on geosmin removal but reduced MIB removal by 30% in all but the pre-chlorinated filter, confirming that biodegradation impacted MIB removal. The impact of biodegradation was greater than any impact on GAC adsorption arising from DOC differences due to MIEX pre-treatment. It is not clear whether, at a lower initial EBCT, MIEX pre-treatment may have impacted on the adsorption capacity of the virgin GAC.The GAC filter maintained at the longer EBCT, which was also pre-chlorinated, completely removed MIB and geosmin for the period of the study, suggesting that the greater adsorption capacity was compensating for any decrease in biological degradation.     

Methods for concentrating viruses from large volumes of estuarine water on pleated membranes

The efficiency of cartridge filters with pleated membranes was determined for the recovery of poliovirus from large volumes of seawater. Flow rates of about 6 gal min⁻¹ were obtained when a combination of a 3- and a 0.45-μm pleated filter were incorporated into the Wallis—Melnick virus concentrator. The filters adsorbed poliovirus when water was acidified at pH 3.5 and aluminum chloride added at a final concentration of 0.0015 m. The filters retained their capacity to adsorb virus particles, even after 600 gal (22681.) of very turbid estuarine water had been filtered. Viruses were eluted from the pleated filters with pH 11.5 glycine buffer and reconcentrated by precipitation with ferric chloride or aluminum chloride. Virus from 100-gal samples was concentrated into a final eluate volume of 20–100 ml, with virus recovery of about 50% being achieved in the material that had been concentrated 20,000–100,000 times.     

蛭石微细粉的特性及其吸附亚甲基蓝的研究

为了探明天然蛭石对于有机阳离子染料的吸附特性,本文系统表征了气流粉粹得到的蛭石微细粉的物相组成、粒度分布、孔径分布、比表面积、Zeta电位;研究了在不同pH值、固液比、时间、亚甲基蓝浓度条件下蛭石微细粉对亚甲基蓝的吸附量和去除率.结果表明,该蛭石微细粉的主要矿物相为蛭石,含有少量的云母,平均粒径为21.65μm,比表面积为12.63m^2/g,表面呈负电荷.在pH值呈中碱性时蛭石对亚甲基蓝的吸附量最大.在固液比为3g/L、浓度为50mg/L、吸附时间为8h的条件下,蛭石对亚甲基蓝浓度的吸附量为16.42mg/g,去除率达到98.54％.     

Concentration of adenovirus from seawater

Factors influencing adenovirus 5 recovery from seawater by virus concentrator methods were determined. A 19,000-fold concentration of 25 gal samples with a theoretical recovery efficiency of 90% was possible with input multiplicities of 1000 TCID₅₀ units ml⁻¹. Pre-treatment of orlon and cellulose acetate filters with beef extract or tween 80 solutions promoted adenovirus passage during sample clarification. Adenovirus adsorbed to textile and epoxy fiberglass filters at acid pH. Adsorption to textile filters was enhanced by 0–05 m MgCl₂. No salt enhancement was necessary for adsorption to epoxy fiberglass filters. Adenovirus was recovered from adsorbent filters following elution with 3% beef extract solution adjusted to pH 9.0. Adenovirus was reconcentrated from beef extract eluates by aqueous polymer phase separation. Actual recovery of 106 PFU of adenovirus from 50 gal of a waste treatment plant effluent was made with the modified virus concentrator procedure developed in the study.     

Hydrogen production using single-chamber membrane-free microbial electrolysis cells

Microbial electrohydrogenesis provides a new approach for hydrogen generation from renewable biomass. Membranes were used in all the reported microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) to separate the anode and cathode chambers. To reduce the potential losses associated with membrane and increase the energy recovery of this process, single-chamber membrane-free MECs were designed and used to investigate hydrogen production by one mixed culture and one pure culture: Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. At an applied voltage of 0.6V, this system with a mixed culture achieved a hydrogen production rate of 0.53m(3)/day/m(3) (0.11m(3)/day/m(2)) with a current density of 9.3A/m(2) at pH 7 and 0.69m(3)/day/m(3) (0.15m(3)/day/m(2)) with a current density of 14A/m(2) at pH 5.8. Stable hydrogen production from lactic acid by S. oneidensis was also observed. Methane was detected during the hydrogen production process with the mixed culture and negatively affected hydrogen production rate. However, by employing suitable approaches, such as exposure of cathodes to air, the hydrogenotrophic methanogens can be suppressed. The current density and volumetric hydrogen production rate of this system have potential to increase significantly by further reducing the electrode spacing and increasing the ratio of electrode surface area/cell volume.     

Concentration of viruses from water on bituminous coal

The potential of bituminous coal for adsorption of viruses, using poliovirus as a model, was investigated. Influence of pH of water on the adsorption of viruses on a coal bed with and without addition of cation (Al³⁺) indicated that poliovirus could be adsorbed efficiently at pH 5 in presence of AlCl₃ at a concentration of 0.0005 M. Studies on the effect of different concentrations of monovalent, divalent and trivalent cations showed that the trivalent cation was more effective and was required at a lower concentration than other cations tested. A coal bed of 1.5 g could adsorb as high as 204,000 PFU from water based on the absence of virus in the filtrate. Total organic carbon content (TOC, 21–51 mg 1⁻¹) of the water did not interfere in virus adsorption to coal. The results obtained indicated that a bituminous coal bed could be used as one of the methods for efficient concentration of viruses from water.     

A simple method for concentrating and detecting viruses in wastewater

A simple method has been developed for routine analysis of sewage and sewage effluents for detecting viruses using adsorption at pH 3 on a 0·45 μm 47 mm diameter membrane filter and elution at pH 8. It was tested on viruses added to autoclaved sewage. Homogenizing the sample for 4 min in a Waring blender and clarification by centrifugation at 1800 g and later at 9230 g facilitated easy filtration without any loss of virus. Retention of the eluant for 30 min on the millipore membrane and then elution in situ under suction provided a sterile eluate with 100 per cent recovery of viruses.

Viruses added to fecal suspensions with 600 mg I⁻¹ BOD were completely recovered when the sample pH was adjusted to 3 and its salt concentration increased by adding 1200 mg l⁻¹ of Mg²⁺ as the chloride. This procedure eliminated the need for passing the samples through ion exchange resins for removing membrane coating components. In a 1 yr programme of monitoring of raw sewage from a middle income group community in Nagpur, a maximum of 3150 PFU/1 during monsoon and 11575 PFU/1 during winter was obtained.

High efficiency and reproducibility of the method allowed the use of sample volumes of 40 ml of raw sewage and 320 ml of treated effluent for the detection of viruses.     

Biological activation of carbon filters

To prepare biological activated carbon (BAC), raw surface water was circulated through granular activated carbon (GAC) beds. Biological activity of carbon filters was initiated after about 6 months of filter operation and was confirmed by two methods: measurement of the amount of biomass attached to the carbon and by the fluorescein diacetate (FDA) test. The effect of carbon pre-washing on WG-12 carbon properties was also studied. For this purpose, the nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77K and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectra analyses were performed. Moreover, iodine number, decolorizing power and adsorption properties of carbon in relation to phenol were studied. Analysis of the results revealed that after WG-12 carbon pre-washing its BET surface increased a little, the pH value of the carbon water extract decreased from 11.0 to 9.4, decolorizing power remained at the same level, and the iodine number and phenol adsorption rate increased. In preliminary studies of the ozonation-biofiltration process, a model phenol solution with concentration of approximately 10mg/l was applied. During the ozonation process a dose of 1.64 mg O(3)/mg TOC (total organic carbon) was employed and the contact time was 5 min. Four empty bed contact times (EBCTs) in the range of 2.4-24.0 min were used in the biofiltration experiment. The effectiveness of purification was measured by the following parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD(Mn)), TOC, phenol concentration and UV(254)-absorbance. The parameters were found to decrease with EBCT.     

合成碳羟基磷灰石对废水中锰离子的吸附研究

利用废弃的蛋壳制备碳羟基磷灰石(CHAP),研究了其对废水中Mn2+的吸附作用,并探讨了CHAP用量、Mn2+浓度、温度、pH对吸附效果的影响.试验结果表明:在pH值为6、温度为30℃、搅拌时间为1 h、CHAP用量为3 g/L、Mn2+初始浓度为70 mg/L的条件下,CHAP对Mn2+的去除率可达到97.9%,吸附容量为22.84 mg/g;CHAP对Mn2+的吸附过程符合Langmuir和Fre-undlich吸附等温式,吸附反应是自发放热过程;H0准二级动力学模型能较好地描述CHAP对Mn2+的动力学吸附行为.     

Adsorption of toluene on carbon nanofibers prepared by electrospinning

This paper reports the novel results of activated carbon nanofibers (ACNF) used to improve the toluene adsorption capacity. The ACNF was prepared by stabilization, carbonization and activation after electrospinning the polymer solution of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in N, N-dimethylformamide. The average diameter of the ACNF was approximately 300 nm, ranging from 200 to 500 nm. The toluene adsorption capacity of ACNF10 activated at 1000 degrees C increased to 65 g-toluene/100 g-ACNF. This was attributed to the high specific surface area (1403 m(2)/g), large micropore volume (0.505 cm(3)/g), and narrow average pore diameter (6.0 A). The oxygen to carbon ratio (O/C ratio) in ACNF10 was 1.8%. This O/C ratio appears to induce a higher toluene adsorption capacity, which originates from a non-polar interaction between the ACNF surface and toluene. In conclusion, the electrospun ACNF prepared in this study promotes the adsorption of toluene through the high specific surface area, large pore volume, narrow pore diameter and low O/C ratio.     

Fluorescent dye labeled bacteriophages--a new tracer for the investigation of viral transport in porous media: 2. Studies of deep-bed filtration

Viral transport in deep-bed sand filters was studied by a new method that enables rapid and simple quantitation of labeled viruses. The residence time distribution (RTD) of viruses in the bed was compared to the RTD of a fluorescein dye under conditions that simulate a filter run. The characteristics of the RTD curves for the free dye and the labeled bacteriophages followed very different trends during the filter run. While the retention time of free dye was practically independent of the filtration stage, the average retention time of the labeled bacteriophage depended in a non-linear way on filtration time. Average virus retention time as well as virus-removal efficiency were minimal at the ripening stage, increased during the operational stage and then decreased again towards the turbidity breakthrough stage. This complex trend reflects two opposing mechanisms that dominate the behavior of the filter. During the ripening stage the accumulation of the kaolin-alum material in the filter increases the adsorption surface area and retards virus mobility. After sufficient kaolin-alum deposit is accumulated in the filter, aging and densification of the alum deposit induces size exclusion phenomenon giving faster apparent mobility of viruses in the filter bed.     

Removal Of Aqueous Selenite Using Alumina

n -Al 2 O 3 and f -Al 2 O 3 were used to remove selenite (SeO<$>_3^{2-}<$>) from aqueous solution. Various adsorption parameters studied are time, temperature, pH, concentration of adsorbent and adsorbate and in saline(0.1 v M KCl)/nonsaline medium. At pH h 8.1, adsorption is higher and thereafter it decreases and the percentage of adsorption decreases with the rise in temperature. Adsorption capacities ( X m ) of the samples calculated from the Langmuir equation was found to be 1.9 v mmol v Se v g m 1 in nonsaline medium, while it is 2.6 v mmol v Se v g m 1 in saline medium for n -Al 2 O 3 . Adsorption capacity of n -Al 2 O 3 is higher than f -Al 2 O 3 .     

Mechanisms of virus control during iron electrocoagulation--microfiltration of surface water

Results from a laboratory-scale study evaluating virus control by a hybrid iron electrocoagulation - microfiltration process revealed only 1.0-1.5 log MS2 bacteriophage reduction even at relatively high iron dosages (∼13 mg/L as Fe) for natural surface water containing moderate natural organic matter (NOM) concentrations (4.5 mg/L dissolved organic carbon, DOC). In contrast, much greater reductions were measured (6.5-log at pH 6.4 and 4-log at pH 7.5) at similar iron dosages for synthetic water that was devoid of NOM. Quantitative agreement with Faraday’s law with 2-electron transfer and speciation with phenanthroline demonstrated electrochemical generation of soluble ferrous iron. Near quantitative extraction of viruses by dissolving flocs formed in synthetic water provided direct evidence of their removal by sorption and enmeshment onto iron hydroxide flocs. In contrast, only approximately 1% of the viruses were associated with the flocs formed in natural water consistent with the measured poor removals. 1-2 logs of virus inactivation were also observed in the electrochemical cell for synthetic water (no NOM) but not for surface water (4.5 mg/L DOC). Sweep flocculation was the dominant destabilization mechanism since the ζ potential did not reach zero even when 6-log virus reductions were achieved. Charge neutralization only played a secondary role since ζ potential → 0 with increasing iron electrocoagulant dosage. Importantly, virus removal from synthetic water decreased when Suwanee River Humic Acid was added. Therefore, NOM present in natural waters appears to reduce the effectiveness of iron electrocoagulation pretreatment to microfiltration for virus control by complexing ferrous ions. This inhibits (i) Fe²⁺ oxidation, precipitation, and virus destabilization and (ii) virus inactivation through reactive oxygen species intermediates or by direct interactions with Fe²⁺ ions.